Archive for June, 2009
Do The Casinos Cheat At Video Games Part4
Frank: You mean, the shuffle isn't actually random?
Dr. Schneider: Remember that there isn't actually a shuffle, just random numbers generated from a random number program that simulates what a shuffle would be. If there is a flaw in the random-number program, you might get a shadow effect—thus, the straight sequence has the discard card shadowed with a like card. That shadow effect could be involved with all the cards in a sequence. Maybe behind each one is a like card. It wasn't done on purpose, it's just a design flaw.
Frank: What if it's a serial deal, and not a parallel deal, as many of the newer machines are supposed to be? The sixth card off the top of the deck is the first card given for the first discard, second card off the top of the deck is given for the second discard and so forth? Just like regular dealer would do in a real card game.
Dr. Schneider: Just as a slight-of-hand artist would do with a real deck, a programmer could do with the program. This could be even more sophisticated than anything found on a parallel program. The program could wait to see what the player discarded and then always give a bad card—any bad card in a seemingly arbitrary way. No one would know the difference. No seeming pattern. Just bad draws. Say you had two jacks but simultaneously four cards to a royal flush. Also say the player opted to keep the two jacks and not go for the royal—the dealer would not give him a third jack or any other pair. This could be devastating. The player would just know he was losing an awful lot. Even bad players could get hurt more than normal.
Frank: That's a problem right there. Losing a lot wouldn't affect many players since they are used to losing a lot— they expect it. This could be going on and except for a few sharp players, no one would even sense it. In video poker, you tend to lose more sessions than win to begin with—even for expert players. But experts can keep the losses to the minimum and come roaring back when the big hands and sessions make their appearance.
Dr. Schneider: You think the natural tendencies of gamblers would play into a scheming programmer or casino?
Frank: Yes. The big hands just don't show up, or show up much less than they should. Who would know?
Dr. Schneider: I just don't see the casinos doing this because they don't have to do it. They structure the games and order the type of programs they want. If a casino wants to offer a good video game, it can; if it wants to offer a bad video game, it can. Why cheat?
Frank: Because competition is fierce. Because they want all the players to play in their places and not the competition's places and that means they even want good players to play in their places. But to take the good player's money, the casinos have to finagle a little. That would be reason to cheat. The good players will only play the best machines and the good players know exactly what these machines are.
They won't play an inferior-paying machine. So lure the good players in with supposedly full-pay machines and cheat them so your casino can compete with the other casinos. It's cut-throat competition. That's the motivation to cheat. The more casinos—the more cheating, not the less cheating. Offer seemingly great paying machines but rig them.
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Tags: video poker
Do The Casinos Cheat At Video Games Part3
Dr. Schneider: Cheating then would have to concern the actual randomness of the shuffle. That would be the first place to look. Perhaps the machine has been programmed to never allow a royal flush. Or, only allow the royal flush half or three quarters of the time. If I take the three-quarter example, when the cards are dealt out, any time a king of hearts comes up, the ace of hearts is behind it. Thus there can never be a hearts royal flush. Let us assume that machine deals out 10 cards, the first five of which are visible…
Frank: Parallel dealing.
Dr. Schneider: Parallel dealing. The other cards are behind these first five. So behind the king of hearts would be the ace of hearts—at all times. You would never know this because when you had three or four cards to a royal flush in hearts, you wouldn't discard the king of hearts so you wouldn't ever see the ace of hearts. Or, if a player made a mistake and did discard it, it would be a curiosity that the ace was behind it. What I've just described wouldn't even be a subtle programming technique. You could program a color in its place. Four to a royal in hearts are red, the discard goes and you receive a black card—you might even get a high straight. The programming could even specify that a normal flush appear. So, you program the machine this way. You have a sequence of 10, jack, queen, and king of hearts. The fifth card is the six of diamonds. Behind it is sitting the ace of hearts. When you discard the six, that ace will show and you have yourself a royal flush. Now, the machine senses the ace and simply substitutes a four of hearts. The player gets a flush but doesn't get the royal. The player would never suspect a thing. The player would be happy he received the flush, a little disappointed that he didn't get the royal and the casino has successfully cheated the player.
[Here I explained to Dr. Schneider my concern that machines I had played in Las Vegas might be substituting like cards for discards in four-to-a-straight hands.]
Dr. Schneider: Such a situation could be happening. However, I doubt that a programmer for one of these companies, even if he were told to cheat the customer, would do so in such an obvious and unsubtle way. After all, you picked this up quickly and anyone who played for a decent length of time would pick this up also. The four-to-a-straight hand occurs frequently enough that a like-card replacing a discard would certainly be noticeable—especially if it were 20 percent of the time or more as you indicated. If it is happening, there could be a problem with the random number generator's programming. It would be a programming flaw, not an attempt to cheat.
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Tags: las vegas, royal flush